The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standardization organization is setting a new P1905.1 standard, as shown in FIG. 1, the standard provides an abstraction layer for multiple mediums of the home network, this abstraction layer provides a universal Service Access Point (SAP) of a control and data level for heterogeneous home network mediums such as IEEE P1901 (Power Line Communication (PLC)), IEEE 802.11 (Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)), IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet) and MoCA 1.1, the abstraction layer can abstract detailed operation information with respect to every link being used, and aggregate data transmitted and received through different links, thereby implementing a seamless connection of various interconnection techniques in the home network. The advanced network management can also be performed through the software layer. For example, when a user equipment is connected to a link supporting different technologies, it is not required to enter different passwords any more, and it is only required to simply press a button. With the IEEE P1905.1, device discovery and configuration can be completed, a secure connection can be established, and other several advanced network management functions can be provided.
The IEEE P1905.1 provides lots of key functions and has many advantages, which can be used for implementing the next generation home network, and shown as follows.
1) Usability: as a consumer-oriented technology, it is vital that network configuration and use should be transparent to consumers. The IEEE P1905.1 provides a universal configuration method for adding devices to the network, establishing secure links and intelligently managing the network.
2) Reliable services: common network problems such as congestion or temporary linkage interrupt may lead to a deterioration of quality of service. By using a link selection mechanism, the device can adopt a replaceable link so as to reduce the times of service interruption, thereby ensuring a good user experience.
3) Increase of network capacity: a hybrid network can aggregate all bandwidths of different links, so as to maximize a throughput capacity.
4) Support for multi-media stream transmission: in applications such as interactive television, even one user can also watch multiple media streams at the same time, thus the new generation network must have an ability of supporting multiple high definition streaming medias simultaneously.
5) Congestion management: load balancing is supported and network congestion can be limited, which guarantees the network reliability and the content quality.
6) Interoperability: standard specifications of HomePlug, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Ethernet and MoCA technologies are supported comprehensively, and backward compatibility with these technologies also can be implemented.
7) Security: the operators wish there will be a solid and reliable security mechanism, and meanwhile, in order to avoid excessive door-to-door services or after-sale telephone services, this type of security mechanism must be simple enough to enhance the usability. The device can be configured by pressing the button, which avoids complicated operations such as entering password.
8) Implementation of higher reliability by monitoring and diagnosis: identical diagnoses can be provided, and moreover, the operators also can monitor the network remotely and repair possible damages in advance, so as to prevent the user experience from being affected.
9) Self-service installation: the new generation home network must support simple installation, discovery and self-service configuration.
10) Universal interconnection: if the new generation network needs to implement thorough transparency, it must enable users to connect to the network in any room at home, and the users do not need to know which interface through which they are communicating. Moreover, when it is to transfer from one room (and interface) to another room (and interface), link handover must be seamless.
The IEEE P1905.1 provides an effective technique so as to practically solve a realistic question existing in today's home networks, only these problems are solved can the operators deploy the hybrid network securely. The interconnection techniques that have been deployed today are seamlessly connected by the IEEE P1905.1, which provides the last element required for the home interconnection.
A multi-medium access point AP and a multi-medium Client are one of device types of the heterogeneous home network, except the WLAN is supported, and other transmission modes such as PLC are also supported. The multi-medium Client generally refers to terminals such as a laptop and a mobile phone and consumer electronics devices that support WiFi.
The WLAN can use a four-address mode or a three-address mode.
The four-address mode uses a structure of four addresses (a data packet source address, a data packet destination address, a WiFi sending address and a WiFi receiving address). Wherein, descriptions will be made by taking the AP (access point) sending a data packet to the Client as an example, the data packet source address is an address of an uplink device of the AP, an address of a mount device of the AP or an address of the AP (when the AP generates the data packet); the data packet destination address is an address of a mount device of the Client (when the data packet is eventually sent to the mount device of the Client); the WiFi sending address is the address of the AP; and the WiFi receiving address is the address of the Client.
The three-address mode refers to, when the AP sends data to the Client, using three addresses (a data packet source address, a WiFi sending address and a WiFi receiving address) to perform sending; and when the Client sends data to the AP, using three addresses (a data packet destination address, a WiFi sending address and a WiFi receiving address) to perform sending.
As shown in FIG. 2 networking diagram, in a multi-medium home network networking environment, terminal devices (such as a mount PC machine and a set top box) are mounted to the multi-medium Client, the multi-medium AP and the multi-medium Client are connected via the WiFi and other wired/wireless ways. At present, in the multi-medium home network networking environment, a problem that normal communication cannot be performed between a mount device of the multi-medium Client and an uplink or mount device of the multi-medium AP occurs frequently.